Småhus, flerbostadshus och förskolebyggnader - Svanen

Nordisk Miljømerking
Hus, leiligheter og barnehager 089/versjon 2
Høringssammenstilling, oppdatert 10. august 2010
The results from the copper risk assessment have contributed to the selection of national
priority substances under the Water Framework Directive in Finland and in Sweden,
resulting in the exclusion of copper.
Useful considerations, addressed in the copper risk assessment, are:
- Copper is an essential element for all life forms and therefore organisms need
copper to ensure normal growth and development. Nature and humans both have
natural regulating systems for copper allowing for adequate uptake/elimination, in
accordance to nutritional needs. The Predicted No Effects Concentrations
(PNECs), set in the copper risk assessment report, recognise copper excess, as
well as copper deficiency. They integrate up to date science on copper
bioavailability, in line with the REACH and Water Framework Directive
guidelines.
- Copper emissions into water systems have actually decreased drastically during
the past decades due to:
(1) the introduction of industrial on-site treatment plants;
(2) the introduction of municipal waste water treatment plants;
(3) better optimisation of fertiliser usage
- These lower emissions have also resulted in decreased levels of copper in rivers,
lakes and coastal waters. Monitoring data, covering surface waters throughout
Sweden, has demonstrated that today’s copper levels are typically below 1 µg/l.
Copper concentrations in the Baltic Sea have drastically decreased between 1978
and 1996 (see figure 1) and are now typically around 0.6 µg/l. HELCOM further
assessed copper time series (> 15 years) in Biota (herring, cod fish liver and
mussels) and concluded that “copper levels have remained stable during the
assessment period”. Some variations were observed and related to natural
homeostasis factors rather than to anthropogenic activities. The HELCOM report
also concluded that copper concentrations in blue mussels from Denmark and
Sweden were lower than the ones reported at the reference sites and lower than
the concentrations levels regarded as “high” background levels. These data clearly
demonstrate the success of historical risk reduction measures and do not indicate a
need for further market restrictions.
- Copper roofs represent one of the smallest diffuse sources of copper in the EU
environment, only 1%. By far the largest source is agricultural chemicals.
- Due to general increased air quality, runoff from roofs has decreased. Over 15
years, runoff levels have been extensively studied at the Royal Institute of
Technology’s Dept. of Corrosion Science in Stockholm. In addition to long term
field studies, a mathematical model has been created to predict copper releases.
Results show that these are in fact very small and have (kommentar: Can this be
better quantified?) reduced, during the past decades, as the air SO2 content has
reduced. The very small amount of copper which is released from the outer
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